A woman who doctors thought would not survive past childhood after tumours were found on her heart and later spread across her body has surpassed her prognosis by decades, raising two children and enjoying a successful career in which she became mayor of her town. Katie Eliot, 42, who now works as a town councillor and runs a karaoke night, said she has experienced “amazing things” in her life, despite bleak medical predictions in her youth, and is now determined to “grab life by the horns”.
Katie, who lives in Bishop Auckland, Durham, with her partner, John, 63, a school bus driver, was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis at 18 years old, which is a rare genetic condition that causes benign tumours to develop in different parts of the body. The condition can result in health problems including epilepsy, learning disabilities, skin abnormalities, breathing difficulties and a build-up of fluid in the brain.
After undergoing open-heart surgery at just three weeks old, a tumour was discovered on Katie’s heart – but doctors did not initially think she had tuberous sclerosis as she did not exhibit other symptoms. After finally being diagnosed at 18, Katie outlived her prognosis, became mayor of Bishop Auckland in May 2021, met the King and most recently recorded a song at Abbey Road Studios.
